


Mirrored Flames

by MoonRaven1412



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Aria is Reborn's Daughter, Self-Insert, more or less, no massive attention directed to self-insertion, only two among many, prologue on going
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-08
Updated: 2018-05-08
Packaged: 2019-03-15 13:25:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13614282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonRaven1412/pseuds/MoonRaven1412
Summary: They were six teens wreaking havoc among the Flame Mafia. Of course they were changing things. Hopefully for the better.(first seven chapters are a bit of timeline building and introduction)





	1. Cloud

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, my second KHR fic here. I had a mish-mash of ideas and decided to run with them. I hesitated in posting this fic anywhere but eventually decided to go for it.
> 
> I hope you like the way I've build Skull's background. The reason why his chapter is here first is because he is chronologically first. The six "main characters" are "Decimo generation" and going to be introduced next, one by one and their stories linked together.
> 
> But without further ado, please enjoy the first chapter of this fic.

**Chapter 1.**

**Cloud**

**_1974_ **

Saku Nordström was nine years old(almost ten) when he had enough. His father had always been more or less violent but it had been sporadic. Just episodes every now and then. Father was a war veteran, suffering from shellshock (later named PTSD). He had been just fifteen when he went to war. But it didn’t excuse his actions. No one hurt Saku’s little sister. No one hurt Saku’s mother. **_Absolutely no one._**

He had enough. The hits he’d handled before when he’d been too weak to protest. But when the beer bottle flew at the head of his six-year-old sister Saana…

The bottle shattered on the boy when he shielded his sister and in the next moment in the midst of slurred insults, Saku had tackled the man to the ground with a strength he didn’t know to possess. Tuukka Nordström was not a strong man. He was tall and willowy but his temper was violent and loud and that had scared Saku before.

No more though. It was time to act. With the adversary down, Saku nudged his mother Aino to move. The woman was bleeding and concussed but Saku ushered her and Saana out and to the sidecar of the motorbike sitting outside. The bike had been their uncle’s and given to Saku last year. While the boy was way too young to drive it properly yet, desperate times required desperate measures and thus he made it work for him.

The tank was full and with it Saku drove all the way to the hospital where they got treated and then questioned by the police.

Tuukka Nordström was arrested, Aino filed for divorce, and she and the children took her family name, Sariola.

Later, when they were sitting at home after cleaning the mess made, Saana tugged Saku’s sleeve.

“Saku, what were those purple flames on your wounds?” The girl asked.

Saku had no answers.

* * *

**_1980_ **

Saku was sixteen when he left for America. Studying just wasn’t his thing. He went through the Comprehensive school, there was no need for higher education in his opinion. Besides, Finland’s schooling system was the world’s best. He could continue from there on his own to whichever direction he desired to. But not yet.

“Now don’t cry baby sister, you have enough smarts for both of us while I have the adventuring spirit.” The teen grinned and patted twelve-year-old Saana’s locks colored like wet straw. He used to have similar color too but after the incident with their father and his purple flames, his hair had taken a permanent violet hue. It wasn’t that strong at first but as the years progressed and incidents happened with the strange flames appearing again and again… Saku’s hair was the color of the violets found in their flower bench.

“Will you come back?”

“Yes, I will. And in the meantime, I promise to write and send you lots of letters and postcards. And I promise to come back to when you finish schooling and when you have high school graduation and whatever other special days you might have.”

Saku loved to travel. He liked to take long walks in the forests and along the roads. He regularly drove around on his trusty motorbike. But he would always come back home.

“Have a safe trip.”

“I will.”

In America Saku got to know more about motorbikes and sub-cultures and sports around them. Bike gangs, dirt-biking, street racings and… stunt driving.

He loved it. The adrenaline, the rush, the danger… Putting on a show, having everyone’s eyes on him yet not seeing everything. The injuries, even the most serious ones, burning away with his purple flames.

Skull de Mort was born.

* * *

**_1982_ **

A tattooed teardrop on the face signified killing someone. At least in some prison tattoo tradition.

Skull had a single teardrop tattooed under his left eye. To signify he had killed one person – himself – many, many times.

* * *

The stuntman was on top of the world. Everything was great. While it was sometimes exhausting and painful to recover from the injuries that failed stunts caused, it was small compared to all the good and excitement. He had fans, he got to meet new people, see new places. He has his own stunt show and sometimes he worked as a stuntman for the movies. He had money that he definitely needed for his travels and living expenses in America and other parts of the world.

Everything was fine.

So, when some weird guy in checkers and mask appeared at his apartment in California on a late night, he was understandably thrown off and alarmed. Why hadn’t the alarm system gone off? How had that guy broken into his current home? What did this man want?

“I Prescelti Sette?” Saku – Skull now to everyone but his family – frowned. “Is that… Italian or Spanish or something?”

“Italian.” The strange man replied, one hand around his cane’s diamond shaped handle and the other toying with something round and transparent. A glass marble maybe? “It means ‘Chosen Seven’.”

“Chosen for what? And why?” It was unnerving. Why him? And… Skull had a feeling that whichever façade he’d thrown on before for the masses, this man in the mask would see straight through it. Time to play for another angle then. The clueless one.

“You have the strongest Cloud Flames of your generation.” The man spoke.

Flames? The purple ones healing him? Did this mean there were other types of ‘flames’ too?

“So are you interested? Just a couple of jobs with other six people of your caliber.”

It was too weird! And what did this man mean with ‘of his caliber’? Skull was a stuntman!

“What sort of jobs would a stuntman like me do for… whatever your occupation is?”

“Oh, you’ll see. You’ll just need to show up at this location on this day.” He was given a map and date. What? Only a week away? And in Italy? He didn’t even know the language!

Skull was about to decline when…

“Your sister has almost as strong flames as you have though latent, unawakened… Must be a family trait…” The man mused as if absentmindedly before looking up. “Besides, what do you have to lose?”

And the man was gone.

Skull was angry. This was blackmail. No one touched Saana! No one! She wouldn’t be mixed into this shady deal, no matter what.

What did he have to lose? A lot but Saana would not suffer for his decision.

And with that resolution, Skull began packing and making phone calls. He had been meaning to take a break for a while anyways.

* * *

Finding the place was easy. Saku had always been good at reading maps and having a good sense of direction. Sort of had to when he went to wander the forests and foreign towns.

He wasn’t the first to arrive, nor was he last. There was a woman in white and orange, heavily pregnant too. There was another woman in some sort of military uniform. There was a man with green hair and a lab coat. There was a… person in a cloak that completely concealed their gender. Skull could only see their lower face and dark blue hair underneath the hood.

“And who’s our newest guest?” The woman in white asked in English with a gentle smile. It was… contradictory. Warm and welcoming yet somehow it sent shivers down Skull’s back. It gave same feeling than other smiles of varying warmth he’d seen around the show business. People used to charming people and putting up a front so long that they’d forgotten how to convey actual emotion anymore.

“Skull de Mort.”

“Ah, our Cloud. I’m Luce. Donna of the Giglio Nero famiglia.”

Famiglia? Skull had a bad feeling about this. Nevertheless, he took a seat at the table where the other four were seated at. There were two other people yet to arrive. Maybe then he’d get an answer.

* * *

It was really not good. Mafia? Magic flames? Strongest Seven? And jobs of mostly illegal nature.

Skull could only take comfort from the fact that it wasn’t Saana doing the jobs. Considering that the weird man had roped a pregnant woman into this (mafia Donna of her own right or not), he wouldn’t put it past the man to get a fourteen-year-old girl into this mess too.

And considering how the others of the I Prescelti Sette treated Skull… a lackey, a civilian, a burden, a liability… The only useful skills to them he had were his driving skills and being an unkillable distraction for the enemies.

Skull learnt a lot about the world around him but he wished he didn’t. He had been fine without knowing all the applications of his flames, without knowing the extent of mafia, without associating with these dangerous people around him whom he couldn’t escape from.

And so went the year…

* * *

**_1983_ **

Last job. Some treasure hunt to the mountains. Lal Mirch’s student Colonello trailing after them once more. Skull almost being left behind after once too many snarky remarks. But it was fine. Soon he could leave the others and never see them again. No more constant show to them and false bravado. No more abuse both physical and verbal. No more stifling presence in close quarters. After this Skull could get away from these people, wash away his make-up and relax.

He was the drifting Cloud that had been chained to the six people before him.

And he…

He was still chained. Now with the purple pacifier at his neck and as the size of a toddler, Skull was still chained.

He was an Arcobaleno.

* * *

He waited until they were back at the base. All eight of them as Colonello had intervened and gotten the full blast of the light instead of Lal. They weren’t talking to each other. Some were throwing distrustful glances at Luce who’d been rumored to be able to gaze to the future. If that was true, then she’d led them all to a trap.

It was harsh adjustment to them all despite them retaining their memories and abilities of their adult bodies. Skull wanted to cry. He bit his tongue though and waited until they were back in Italy and the night fell. Then he snuck out to the closest call box with pockets full of change he’d collected during the past months. International phone calls were so expensive…

 _“Haloo?”_ Came a sleepy reply. Skull smiled grimly. Of course, Saana would be the one answering.

“Saana… I screwed up.”

_“Saku… You sound strange.”_

“I know. I… I’m coming home as soon as possible but… It is possible that I need to stay away more or less permanently later on.”

_“Is this about the jobs you did this past year?”_

“Yeah… Things happened and I’m… stuck. I’ll tell more when I come back.”

* * *

It took a month for them to part. Skull managed to have Verde build him a child-sized motorbike and have Viper ease his access to his own money regardless of his own appearance. He had to pay heavily for both of them but considering that all the Arcobaleno were in the same situation, they didn’t really have any real reasons to decline.

Skull left. He wanted to go home.

* * *

Saana was understandably worried and horrified of what had happened. Saku told her about the mafia and Arcobaleno and flames and jobs and the fact that he was most likely going to be part of that world.

“I’ll still visit even if it will be in secret.” He promised the girl who nodded. They were sitting in Saana’s room. Their mother was still at work. Saku would be staying for a week with them before leaving.

“And I’ll see if there is any information on the Flames in Finnish mythology. From the sound of it, the Flames are an international phenomenon and not confined to Italy and mafia.” Saana mused.

“Yes… Judging by the accents… Despite Reborn, Lal, Colonello and Luce being Italian, Fon was Chinese, Verde was maybe French and Viper Dutch.”

“And you are Finnish.”

“And proud of it.”

“Hmm… Do you think it’s possible for me to awaken my flames, too?” The teenager mused.

“I don’t know. It requires some real danger and… I don’t want you to be dragged into this world.”

“Saku, you are only nineteen… Please don’t…”

“I’m already involved. I will be careful. Everyone wants a piece of the Immortal Skull de Mort after all so I need to keep my eyes open!” He posed heroically on top of Saana’s desk, gaining a laugh as a reward and grinning himself.

Maybe it would be okay.

* * *

**_1987_ **

Saana had met a man named Eemeli Aarnio two years ago during her research period. They’d fallen in love and, after she’d graduated, married. They were young but Skull had a feeling that they’d be just fine. They had similar interests and continued studying at university. He was happy for them.

* * *

**_1988_ **

Saana was pregnant. The baby was probably conceived during their honeymoon to Italy. At Italy the newly-wed couple had scoured libraries and museums for information about the Flames.

 _“I think I met that Luce you mentioned.”_ Saana said during one of their phone conversations.

“Huh?”

_“She was with a five-year-old girl named Aria. They… They both had that orange marking on their left cheekbone.”_

Skull paused. Five… It matched the timeline but…

“Was Luce… Was she a toddler or…?”

_“An adult. Sickly but fully adult. Do you think it means you could grow up again, even if temporally?”_

Skull had to think about it but… “I think… I think that Skies are exceptions to every rule existing.”

* * *

Saana and Eemeli’s baby girl was named Aada.

“Aada. A good Finnish name and not that hard pronounce internationally either.” Saana had stated for the rest of the family. Skull cherished any family photos that reached him. He wished he could visit more.

* * *

**_1994_ **

Saku managed to visit his sister’s family. It was Aada’s sixth birthday. She was adorable. And immediately took to call him ‘Saku-nii’ in Japanese fashion at his suggestion and behest.

And…

“You’re a Sky? A latent and weak Sky but a Sky nonetheless? _Mitä helvettiä_?” Saku stared at his brother-in-law. The years in mafia and at the range of flames users strong and weak, active and latent, had honed his senses.

“Well…” Eemeli laughed. “I only found out when helping Saana? And it’s called Hearth in our Mythology.”

“Not helping…” Saku growled and pinched the bridge of his nose. Thankfully Finland was such a recluse country when it came to underworld that the family would most likely be safe but this meant that Saku would need to be even more careful so he wouldn’t lead the mob to them even accidentally. He glanced at Aada. He hoped that Saana’s strong Cloud – Wind – flames would smother any possible Sky inheritance in the girl. “Why is this my life?”

* * *

**_1995_ **

Skull was trapped again. It had taken years but a mafia famiglia had trapped him into a contract. The American based Carcassa Famiglia didn’t thankfully know about Saana, Eemeli, Aada and rest of his family but it didn’t mean he was any less trapped.

Oh well, he should make the best of a bad situation. Like having many practice targets for Oodako, his pet squid and partner that had been gifted to him by Luce a couple of years back. The woman was trying to make amends and Skull didn’t know what to think about it. He wasn’t ready to forgive and forget. Being an Arcobaleno had ruined his life as he knew it but he did appreciate Oodako and his company.

Life was hard.

And he really didn’t appreciate the Carcassa tradition of attacking Mafia Land where he’d inevitably would get beaten by Colonello.

* * *

In the fall Saku got a word from Saana that Aada had awakened her flames when falling off a cliff when she was hiking with her scout girl group.

Strong Cloud Flames with underlying Sky.

Saku buried his head in his hands and dearly hoped the girl would be safe.


	2. Lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first mirror crackles as green sparks dance along it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first OC and introduction of more canon characters. I hope you like Dahlia "Wrench" Williams.
> 
> Still timeline building until all OCs have been introduced. Then the storytelling style will change.

**Chapter 2.  
** **Lightning**

**_1986_ **

Dahlia Elizabeth Williams was born to Hannah and Adam Williams on a sunny June day. She was dearly loved even if her parents were busy with their jobs and research. Hannah Williams nee Chesterton was a teacher at Eton while Adam Williams was a doctor at London’s biggest hospital.

Thus it was her grandfather Gabriel Chesterton who mostly looked after her during her first years of life.

* * *

**_1991_ **

Dahlia was five years old when Samuel was born. He was a whoops-baby but loved none the less. He was also looked after by Grampa Gabriel. The old man used to be a mechanic and inventor back in the day and the years had not dulled his intellect at all. Intellect which the man could see glinting in the eyes of his grandchildren.

Dahlia was also five when she took apart a VHS recorder and began sorting the pieces into piles. She received her first toolkit from her grandfather then.

* * *

**_1994_ **

Dahlia liked taking things apart and build them up again. Samuel liked to watch and ‘help’. Grampa Gabriel liked to teach them about different parts and meanings of machines. He made gadgets and moving knick-knacks and the children loved them.

“I want to be just like grampa!” Dahlia announced. Samuel nodded next to her.

“I’m Spanner.” He said lifting a toy spanner in the air.

“I’ll be Wrench then!” The two words might be practically the same in meaning but they were siblings so they fit right?

* * *

**_1996_ **

There was an explosion in their ‘laboratory’. There was an explosion but no one got hurt. Crackling lightning was shielding them with Gabriel standing tall in front of the children and Wrench crouched over Spanner, green sparks crackling along her skin.

Flames of Dying Will, Gabriel called them and told Wrench to be careful. Mafia had the flames and fished for powerful users. The girl nodded.

“They were so cool…” Spanner stated with the awe of a five-year-old.

“But no telling mum or dad either.” Wrench told the boy who nodded.

“Of course not. They are like our secret names.” Even after two years, Hannah and Adam still didn’t call them by their chosen names. They loved the kids but they didn’t _understand_. Wrench smiled sadly. Both her and Spanner were intelligent and were capable of using that intellect, but their parents just didn’t understand to what they wanted to use it. Didn’t understand they already had things they loved to do.

* * *

**_1998_ **

Wrench cut her hair and dyed it lime green. She wore boys’ school uniform and didn’t give a shit of what other girls called her. She had her grandpa and Spanner. They understood her and it was enough.

She also began studying her own flames and their uses under Gabriel’s supervision. She wanted to understand _them_ in turn.

* * *

**_1999_ **

Spanner made an internet friend from Japan. Shoichi was the kid’s name. Dahlia liked him.

Gabriel Chesterton went to Italy for a holiday. He didn’t come back.

Wrench knew how to hack. She began looking for information about the mafia.

* * *

**_2001_ **

Sometimes she was Dahlia, the other times she was Wrench. When she met the prettiest and coolest girl ever, she was Dahlia. She was sixteen and in love.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Let me help you with those.” The pretty girl said and helped Dahlia with the books she’d just purchased from Waterstones. Science Fiction for her and some Japanese manga for Spanner. And her two bags used to hold them had fallen on the cobblestones between them.

“Thank you…” Dahlia stared at the girl’s sad blue eyes and almost golden blonde hair falling down her shoulders. She was dressed in denim jacket and jeans with a turquoise t-shirt beneath and she was so damn pretty.

“It’s alright. I should’ve watched where I was going.” The pretty girl smiled as they gathered the books and placed them neatly back to Dahlia’s bags. She couldn’t place the accent she had when speaking English but it was pretty too.

“I… I’m Dahlia Williams. Would you like to get coffee with me?” The green-haired girl blurted out before she could stop herself.

The pretty girl hesitated, several emotions flashing on her face.

“S-Sure… My name is Leila Kannas.” She blushed and tucked a stray strand behind her ear. She looked so young like that.

That’s right… How old was she?

* * *

Dahlia met Leila many times and took showing sights of London for her. It was nice and fun and… She loved the foreign girl. It was strange but Dahlia felt at peace with her.

Then she met the girl as Wrench and everything crashed down.

Wrench had been crouched over one of her inventions and fine-tuning it when the door opened. She thought it was Spanner who was one of the few people with a key so she wasn’t worried.

Then a familiar voice with wrong tone spoke up.

“You were hard person to track down, Wrench. You cover your tracks well when it comes your transactions and purchases.”

Wrench looked up and turned around slowly. Her goggles were obscuring her eyes as she took in the intruder and the lock on the door that was picked open. She tried to swallow around the lump in her throat.

It was Leila. Her hair was pinned up on a hightail and she was wearing a suit with light blue shirt and dull grey tie.

“And you are?” Wrench asked hoarsely and reached up to lift her goggles away.

“Agent Thyme. Of CEDEF…” And the ‘pretty girl’ trailed off when she saw Dahlia’s face. “You…”

“Me. Surprised? I certainly am. What does Vongola’s External Information Organization or whatever want with little ol’ me?” Wrench asked, leaning against her workbench and surreptitiously glancing around the room to see that all dangerous chemicals were behind locked doors and any tools using fire or gas were put away too. She had just been using a simple drill and screwdriver but one could never be too sure.

CEDEF was mafia. It might’ve been an intelligence organization but its main focus and allegiances were in the mafia. Whatever they wanted from Wrench, she would decline and if a fight erupted afterwards, she was ready.

“The few gadgets and inventions that have gone into circulation and whose patents have been traced onto you have caught CEDEF’s attention.” Leila – no, Thyme – started an obviously rehearsed spiel and might’ve impressed someone else but for Wrench, for _Dahlia_ , it just sounded fake in the girl’s mouth. “Thus we’ve decided to offer you a job and-…”

“No.” The young inventor cut in.

“B-But… you didn’t even listen to the benefits or…”

“It’s still no. I’m not interested.”

“I see…” There was underlying danger in Thyme’s voice. Like there was no such thing as saying ‘no’ to the job offer given by the mafia. “I’m afraid I can’t let you go then.” Remorse. So the girl wasn’t mere puppet for her organization.

“Oh, how so?”

“You know about the mafia. You know about me. You know about CEDEF and its connection to Vongola. _All the while being a civilian_.” Thyme stepped closer. “My orders are to either recruit you or to dispose you.”

“Yeah, not happening.” Wrench snorted and green sparks flared to light across her skin and started travelling along the metal parts of her lab. Thyme’s eyes widened before glowing sapphire blue as she drew a gun from a holster at her belt. Wrench lifted a heavy-duty rubber mallet from a nearby desk and let her flames dance across it, hardening the rubber into something as solid as all the metals around her.

“Lightning user…” Thyme glared and pointed the gun at Wrench who was still yet to move aside for cover.

“Rain user.” The green-haired girl retorted disinterestedly. “How old are you even? Younger than I, that much I deduced during our dates but now that I know you are an _agent_ … I didn’t know CEDEF recruited kids.”

Thyme flinched but gritted her teeth.

“I’m fifteen. I’ve worked for CEDEF for two years. I’m no child!”

“Still basically a kid.”

Thyme seemed ready to rush forward and pummel her to the ground instead of making her look like a block of Emmentaler cheese. But in the end, it wasn’t needed as a heavy monkey wrench at the hands of ten-year-old Spanner connected with the back of the agent’s head.

Wrench let out a sigh of relief. Her lab wasn’t destroyed after all. Maybe now she could have civil conversation with her cute girlfriend.

And it was such a relief that she was only a year younger than her too.

* * *

Agent Thyme woke up to find herself tied to a chair, with her wrists on armrests thus negating any possibility of secretly breaking out. Wrench and a boy the looked alike to her were bent over something or other and the mallet was within the inventor girl’s reach.

“Ah, you’re awake. Shall we now discuss things civilly?” Wrench smiled. “Then we can go on a date like we used to.”

“D-Date?” Thyme stuttered. “W-What do you mean?”

“A date where we go somewhere cool in London, I tell you random info about it, we take photos, and later we go somewhere to eat.”

“B-But… I…”

“You are still Leila Kannas, aren’t you? It’s your real name, right?” And it was Dahlia smiling and tears falling from Leila’s eyes.

“They… They tried to take it away…” The blonde girl sobbed.

The whole sad backstory came out then and Dahlia swore to always support Leila no matter where each of them were.

And they managed to spin things in a way that Agent Thyme and her handler would be the only ones in contact with Wrench and she would be only contracted to CEDEF but not an actual member for them.

(If she wanted some extra information, she could always just hack for it.)


	3. Rain

**Chapter 3.**

**Rain**

**_1995_ **

Leila Kannas was nine when she watched her best friend Aada Aarnio tumble down the cliff. It had been rainy and the wet moss on the rocks had made everything slippery. She watched it happen and saw the purple flames with lick of golden orange in them wreath the younger girl and let her stand up at the bottom completely unharmed.

Confused purple going back to blue met scared blue and the girls resolved to keep it a secret.

* * *

Of course, it didn’t stay secret for long. After they were home from the hiking trip and locked themselves into Aada’s room to see if they could coax the strange flames out themselves, they were found out my Aada’s father Eemeli who then proceeded to explain them what he and Saana knew about the flames, what each type did and what they were called in their mythology. Apparently different cultures had different names, some favoring precious stones while some gave ‘occupations’ for the different colors. And then there was the weather themed naming system that was spread over the Underworld. That one Saku had told them about.

_Orange was apparently called Liesi (Hearth) for the warmth and hominess and general welcoming quality._

_Yellow was like the golden Sato (Crops) under the sun, flourishing and nurturing._

_Green was the moss-covered Kallio (Rocks) that offered shield and shelter to wildlife and humans alike._

_Blue was the clear and serene Järvi (Lake) dotting the landscape, giving solace and gifting fish._

_Indigo was the Meri (Sea) from which the land and creation had risen from in the Kalevalan myths._

_Purple was the Tuuli (Wind) that couldn’t be stopped or chained but was ever-present still._

_Red was Kaski. It meant area which had been slash-and-burned to be later used for agriculture._

_And all the aspects of home were centered around the Hearth. Naturally._

“So… how does this apply to me and our family?” Aada asked her father.

“You are a Wind… Or Cloud according to the Italian description. And you have inherited from me weak Hearth – Sky – too. It means that you will draw other aspects towards you but you will also crave you own space.” Eemeli explained. “I don’t know if this will eventually lead you to build your own set of if you’ll be part of one… But I do advise you to be careful. The Underworld covets Flame users. That’s how Saku got entangled too. He had strong Flames and got involved with things better left alone.”

“You’ve never really told me what happened to Saku-nii.” Aada pointed out. “He visited on my birthday but I haven’t seen him since.”

“Maybe one day.”

“You have not said how this will affect me though.” Leila interrupted. “Aada is my best friend and something like this won’t drive me away. But I do want to know what is going to happen now with her and I.”

“I’m not sure…” Eemeli sighed. “Saana has better Flame senses that I do despite being Latent so she might have some other insight… But I advise you to stick with Aada and mitigate any damage she might accidentally cause. Saana can help to control Wind. She is the same type and used to help Saku when he went Active even if they lacked information of what was going on.”

“Alright. I’ll stay with Aada. She is my Hearth and Wind. She won’t drive me away and I won’t make her leave.”

Those words were a promise that was both kept and broken.

* * *

**_1996_ **

It was peace. It was home. It was a hug that wouldn’t let you go.

It was as close to Harmonization as it could be with Leila being still a Latent Lake. According to Saana, she had the potential to go Active but for now she was a stabilizing presence for Aada. The two girls were spending almost every waking moment together. In general, the situation hadn’t changed much from before Aada awakened her flames but accidents did tend to happen.

Leila wouldn’t have traded it for anything.

* * *

**_1997_ **

Leila smiled as she listened Aada talk about a boy she met when on a vacation in Nice, France. His name is René Fontaine and they were still keeping contact.

“He was so warm.” Aada sighed. “I hope to meet him again one day.”

“I’m sure you will.” Leila chuckled at the girl’s antics and wondered…

Maybe René was reaching for Aada like Leila was. Were they of the same set?

* * *

**_1999_ **

They were on a holiday in Italy. Leila and her parents had rented a car with which they were touring the cities and sights. The weather was wonderful, the food was excellent, and the scenery was beautiful. Nothing was wrong-…

**Bang!**

**Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-…**

Gunfight? What was going on?

The tires were punctured. The car swerved and crashed to a building. Henri and Raija Kannas were dead immediately. Blue fire enveloped Leila and everything around her slowed down.

Like a Lake calming everything down and benignly listening to your worries without judging. The serenity and tranquility calming down even the most thunderous soul.

There were people stopping the gun fight. They were no police though. They had the rainbow fire too. So many colors…

Leila’s eyes drooped low.

She wanted to get back to her Hearth.

* * *

Muddy, muddy… Flashes of places, events, faces… Blurry, blurry… drowning, sinking, echoing… Oppressive silence… Suffocating loneliness…

Where, where…

Who, who…

What, what…

Golden orange mixed in purple.

Aada.

Hers. Her Hearth. Her Wind.

_“I DON’T WANT TO FORGET!”_

Leila’s eyes snapped open and she sat up, regardless of the aches she had or the stiffness of her limbs. Bright blue Lake lashed out and knocked the adult in lab coats down. There was a movement of someone she missed due their tiny size but Leila paid no heed to it. Someone had tried to tamper with her. Someone had tried to make her forget her parents, her home, her friends, her _Hearth_ …

Inexcusable.

The fourteen-year-old girl rolled off the bed and landed on the person her Lake aspect had missed.

Tiny, toddler-sized person.

* * *

Lal Mirch was not prepared for the reaction the foreign girl exhibited. The girl was not the first test subject for Mist-induced brainwashing CEDEF inflicted on orphans and foundlings that would be indoctrinated as their agents, and she definitely wouldn’t be the last either but her resistance…

It had been a surprise that the teenager with the strong Rain Flames had been found in the car wreck in the aftermath of a clash between the Rossi and Partheno Famiglias, but the following actions hadn’t been as such. Paperwork to fake the girl’s death along with her family was done and the authorities wouldn’t be any wiser. Such potential wouldn’t let be wasted after all, and with the girl’s unaffiliated state, she wouldn’t be missed by other famiglias.

Or at least that had been the reasoning of the agents on the site. Lal didn’t agree to it but had resolved to observe the girl and her responses to the standard treatment.

The girl had been in Mist-induced coma for a week, all the while alternating doctors had gone and tried to blur and conceal her personal memories. Blank slate, ready to be molded for CEDEF’s needs.

Then on the seventh day the girl abruptly woke up. Her flames lashed at the doctors and put them to sleep. Lal darted forwards, ready to subdue the girl before she hurt herself or anyone else permanently.

And the girl fell on her. Coordination wasn’t working yet but that only added to her unpredictableness.

One of the girl’s hands was pressing on Lal’s jugular, keeping her to the ground but not strangling her.

“Mitä te teitte?(What did you do?)” The girl shouted. “Miksi the yrititte viedä mut pois mun Lieden luota?(Why did you try to take me away from my Hearth?)”

Lal didn’t understand the language she was speaking. Finnish was one of the few European languages that didn’t link to others and thus couldn’t be interpreted unless one actually knew its relative language, like Estonian. So she let the girl shout, the room was soundproof after all. The failed Arcobaleno could guess for the most parts what the girl wanted to, other than vent and rage that is.

There were tears falling down on her and grip was getting lax. Lal pushed the hand and made the girl tilt and fall on the floor. The girl curled up, continuing her sobbing.

“What is your name?” Lal asked the girl in English. She needed to know if she remembered. It would certainly explain her reaction even if it would still be a mystery why she did.

“Leila… Leila Amalia Kannas…” The girl said.

“What were you just talking about?”

“… You tried to take me away from my Hearth.”

Shit… The name might’ve been different but the girl was clearly talking about her Sky. They had just tried to separate a bonded Element (recently awakened or not) from their Sky. No wonder the girl – Leila – had reacted so violently.

Lal considered her options. CEDEF would not let the girl go considering the strength and purity of her flames. At the same time, Leila couldn’t be safely mind-wiped either because she was harmonized and – was that a Mist secondary? Yes, it was. – her Mist flames would be fighting whomever was performing the procedure.

“Leila Kannas.” The girl stilled at the sound of her name. “My name is Lal Mirch. From now on you shall be my apprentice and answering directly to me.” Lal said. “I will explain more but for now let’s get out of this room and find some new clothes for you.”

“…Okay.”

* * *

The adjustment was not easy. Leila might’ve known about her Flames before but putting it all in practice in a new and foreign environment was hard. Lal shielded her from the masses and took care of her training for the most part but even she couldn’t be always there for her.

This was mafia. This was Italy. This was an intelligence organization.

Leila didn’t like it but she made do with it. She could adjust.

Especially after Lal let her call Aada and tell her what had happened. Her parents were dead and she might’ve been at the other side of Europe but at least her Hearth – Sky – knew that she was alive.

The reassurance of the bond helped her cope.

* * *

**_2000_ **

Leila was in Monaco. She was part of the group investigating recent frauds that Pesca Famiglia’s second-in-command had been committing through the casinos there. The group consisted of her, Lal, Sage and Basil. Sage was a senior agent with Storm Flames and overseeing Basil’s progress. The kid was the boss’s, Iemitsu Sawada’s, own apprentice and for some reason was speaking in very old-fashioned way.

“Did something go wrong with your programming?” Leila – Thyme – asked the kid when they’d introduced to each other.

“What doth thou mean, Thyme-san?” Mixing Japanese into any language that they were speaking in was also annoying but not as much as the ancient speech. Leila had enough problems with Italian itself, thank you very much.

“I mean… When I was being trained, the Mist division programmed Italian into my language selection to ease my introduction to CEDEF.” Leila said like it was normal for Mist users to go into their heads and tweak things. Which it was for CEDEF’s trainees like she was meant to be. Being under Lal’s protection was the only reason she hadn’t been taken in for reprogramming.

“No. Oyakata-sama has taught me himself since I was a mere babe.” Basil had replied.

And that was that. Sage had pulled the kid aside for briefing and Lal had called Leila over for her own instructions.

* * *

At the casino, Leila followed the exchanges and proceedings over the gambling tables. There was one table in particular with was frequented by a boy around Aada’s age. He spoke in rabid French with occasional Italian or English phrase and seemed to be making the audience laugh. All the while cleaning the table from the chips. Black eyes underneath page-boy cap glinted in mischief as he suggested jokingly to be the dealer for the next round and had the people laughing.

“Interesting…” Leila mused.

 _“Thyme, do you see Berlus Fussili?”_ Lal asked through her headset.

“No. I do see a teenager cleaning a poker table though and people just laughing at the fact.”

 _“Mist Flames?”_ Unfortunately common suspicion, especially in the area where a known mafia member was suspected to be.

“Doesn’t seem so. Simply a charming lad. He is Flame active though. Keeping a lid on it quite successfully, if I say so myself.”

_“Move on then. Let’s not concern ourselves with it for now.”_

“Roger that.”

Leila moved to another designated watch-point to see the other half of the grand hall. Basil was taking care of the other room with Sage while Lal was in surveillance.

Unknown to her, the black eyes followed movements and smirked to himself.

“René, are you done here?” A girl with silky black curls that in certain light almost seemed indigo, asked.

“I think so. I’d like to try Blackjack next.” The boy replied, turning around in his seat after gathering his winnings. “You in Rosalie? You have such a good head for numbers.”

“I don’t see why not. Mamba will be covering for us.” Rosalie smiled back whilst absently twirling her lace parasol.

“For a cut in profits?”

“Of course.”

* * *

**_2001_ **

It was Leila’s first solo mission. Recruitment or disposal of the hacker known as Wrench. CEDEF’s technicians had worked hard to find their approximate location and then Agent Thyme had been sent to London.

She didn’t expect meeting tall, sweet, smart girl with green hair and falling in love with her whilst doing footwork in locating the hacker’s lair.

She didn’t expect her girlfriend being the hacker she’d been looking for.

She didn’t expect to be captured by the hacker and her brother.

And she definitely didn’t expect calling her teacher in order to negotiate a deal for Dahlia so she could remain outside CEDEF but still in contact and working for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Giving names for the flames was surprisingly hard.
> 
> What do you think about how I portrayed CEDEF? Does it make sense?


	4. Mist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sword wielding illusionist? Oh dear...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like Rosalie. She is such a cute goth girl. And hey, you get to meet René properly too.

**Chapter 4.**

**Mist**

**_1987_ **

Rosalie Valdez was born on a windy September evening in a mafia affiliated hospital in Palermo. Her parents were Spanish diplomats with connections to mafia, thus their presence in Sicily during the last months of Francesca Valdez’s pregnancy.

* * *

 

**_1993_ **

Little characters danced around Rosalie. She made them tell a story she’d been read by her nanny last week. Now she was alone with only servants in the house while her parents attended some important dinner.

* * *

**_1994_ **

Her parents were busy. Rosalie was bored. She was seven years old and had been enrolled to Mafia school which was located in Milan. She was the youngest student currently and people couldn’t seem to decide how to treat her. Some were condescending due her age, some tried to treat her like glass due her gender, some looked down on her in disgust due her Spanish heritage…

The girl sighed. She’d rather be invisible than around these people. The only way they were useful, was for gossip.

Rosalie snorted in very undignified manner (her mother would be scandalized and father disapproving if they were there) and got up. There was nothing new in the rumor mill today. She marched past a gaggle of preteen girls, towards dormitories. She was one of the few students living in them.

Schooling in mafia circles was a strange subject. Some children were tutored in their own homes for a reason or other. Well-off families (like Vongola) paid for private tutors while poorer ones (like Bovino) took care of the education themselves. Some children attended mafia school and were carted to and from it daily. Some, like Rosalie, resided in the dormitories either due distance or circumstance.

From her room she picked her foil (non-standard one with which she could actually cut and pierce dummies) and headed then to fencing grounds set behind the school. She had pent-up energy to release and she hadn’t had a good spar since starting the school. Two years ago, she’d picked fencing as her hobby and had been allowed to continue as long as it was kept behind closed doors but now… even if there was sword-lessons offered, they were strictly for boys. And she didn’t have permission slip from her parents to go on the lessons anyways. Instead, she was put on crocheting classes. Apparently, it was something ‘safe for little ladies like her’.

Bleh.

* * *

Two hours and half a dozen maimed and diced dummies later, Rosalie was… not satisfied but calmer. Now… if only she could spar with someone.

A movement at the corner of her eye made her duck out of sight. Teachers wouldn’t be happy to catch her since she didn’t have permission to fence. And definitely not do so unsupervised.

But it wasn’t a teacher. It was the crazy secondary schooler that had all the other students _and_ sword instructors beaten in skill. The spare of Superbi family. Squalo, if Rosalie remembered correctly. She had never interacted with the boy, only watched from the windows how he demolished his opponents and grew frustrated with lack of challenge. The girl could sympathize, even if her situation was different. And skill-level. Otherwise she would’ve challenged the boy since she doubted he really cared about the rules.

“Voii! How long are you going to hide there?!” The loud shout interrupted the girl’s musings. Rosalie pursed her lips. The boy had sensed her. Or even seen her demolishing the dummies and watched her hide. Either way, he knew her location.

The seven-year-old straightened up and brushed her skirt before stepping out of her hiding place. Her sword tapped against her hip with each step she took as she primly walked up to the boy but stopped just out of reach of his sword. The teen eyed her in amusement.

“You are Squalo of Superbi Famiglia.” Rosalie stated. “Rosalie Valdez, a pleasure.” She curtseyed.

“Likewise.” Squalo replied, taking stock of her stature and posture and apparently finding it satisfactory. “Been taught the sword for long?”

“Only a year. I had to quit the lessons when my parents carted me here. They wouldn’t give me a permission to attend the lessons here even if I were to ask for it.”

“Well that’s their loss.” The boy snorted derisively. “From now on, I’ll be teaching you. No reason to have all that potential go to waste.”

“Really?” Rosalie beamed, subconsciously adding tiny stars and fluttering rose petals on the background.

“Voii! Quit with the sparkles! No girly shit welcomed here!” Squalo drew his sword. Rosalie mimicked him.

“Understood!”

* * *

During the months, Rosalie got to know Squalo and by extension his Sky, Xanxus di Vongola. Despite her age, she got well along with the two of them. But Harmonize they could not.

“Hmm… we are alike but maybe I’m simply not strong enough yet.” Rosalie muttered, disappointed but not really concerned. “Maybe with age I’d be powerful enough but I’m still trying to find myself.”

They were sitting in Xanxus’s new office in the castle that housed Varia. Last month Squalo had beaten Tyr of Varia for the title of Sword Emperor and in due process had gained the leadership of Varia itself. Which he’d handed over to Xanxus. The rest of the month was spent in cleaning up the place, familiarizing themselves with things there and avoiding second in command of the Lighting users, Leviathan, who was downright worshipful towards Xanxus.

“You considering joining Varia then, tiny trash?” Xanxus asked.

“…Maybe. Like I said, I’m still finding myself.”

* * *

**_1995_ **

Next year went on, with Rosalie irregularly but frequently ‘kidnapped’ to Varia Headquarters and the terrible duo running the show there. During the year Xanxus picked the rest of his Guardians: Lussuria for Sun was already a Varia, Levi got a promotion to Lighting Officer, Prince Belphegor of Storm was picked almost literally from the streets after he’d massacred his own family and Arcobaleno Mammon took the Mist Guardians place.

Rosalie was a bit miffed at the last one but understood. She had no way of beating an Arcobaleno in strength and experience. Even if she was unsure what to think about the fact that Belphegor who was a year younger than her was strong enough to be Xanxus’s Guardian. What did it say about her own strength?

Her ponderings almost led her to avoid the castle and the company of her tentative ‘friends’.

Almost.

In the end it led to Xanxus showing up at school and dragging her with him instead of just sending a mook to pick her up.

Well, at least her skills with sword and illusions were progressing.

* * *

**_1996_ **

The Cradle Affair happened. It wasn’t hard to guess who had blabbed to Vongola Nono about Xanxus’s plan. And even concealed the true purpose of the ‘coup’.

Rosalie frowned heavily at Ottabio whom she’d bound to a chair in the middle of a driveway to Vongola Mansion, the Iron Fort.

“Enrico di Vongola, the Heir, was killed last year in a gunfight.” The nine-year-old girl spoke. “His Guardians were poorly matched and only for the sake of political alliances. The security provided by CEDEF has also been lacking. Nono is complacent in his power and position. Other families are clamoring for a piece of Vongola, especially when Nono has refused to officially name anyone his heir and thus let go of even a fraction of his power…”

She had been eyeing the trees around them before her eyes snapped back to her captive. It had been surprisingly easy to snatch him on his way to Iron Fort and it would be quite a while until Nono’s men would start wondering about the delay.

“Nono needed to wake up.” Rosalie said flatly. “Xanxus was going to make him realize how lacking his security was. Not… Not try and snatch the crown that now rightfully would belong to Massimo. So just what were your motives? Getting the leadership of the Varia? You knew you couldn’t beat Xanxus in a fight so you set Nono to clear the way for you? Too bad he is too soft-hearted to be proper ‘cleaner’ or he would’ve wiped out Xanxus’s Guardians too.”

“You… You little… bitch…” Ottabio spat out blood and let out a wheezing cough. Rosalie blinked slowly. The stab wound on the traitor’s chest from her foil was bleeding sluggishly.

“Is that all you wanted to say?” The girl asked. She raised her sword. “And I prefer to be called tiny trash.”

* * *

Ottabio was found an hour later, having bled out from his wounds long since. Rosalie had been spirited away by Mammon who’d been looking for her. The girl was trembling in rage at the dead man and horror of her own actions.

“Get me to Squalo.” She had said once back at the Headquarters.

“Mu, that’ll cost.”

“Doesn’t getting rid of that rat put you in my debt?” The girl asked idly, wiping the blood away from her sword and then binning her ruined gloves.

“We didn’t ask for it.” The Arcobaleno protested without any meaning behind it as they floated behind the girl making her way to the training rooms.

“All the sweeter.”

The double doors were banged open. Rosalie strode in and drew her foil. Squalo met her with a resounding clang of their swords.

* * *

**_1998_ **

Rosalie was only mildly interested when she heard about Massimo di Vongola’s death. Apparently Nono and CEDEF had not learnt from their mistakes yet. Well, there was still Federico. But the fact that he was not announced as the next Decimo concerned her. Nono wasn’t getting any younger.

Oh well, there was more important things for her to look into. Like the new student René Fontaine, son of the French information dealer Angelina Fontaine. Born and raised at Mafia Land but moved two years ago to France and now to Mafia Academy’s dormitories. The ten-year-old had powerful Sun Flames and was quite the good shot. Though it seemed he preferred using darts and playing cards as throwable ammo. Well, one card deck provided 52 projectiles plus Jokers and any possible info cards. Cheap and compact.

“Buenos dias, señor Fontaine.” Rosalie greeted the boy, sitting down next to him at the cafeteria. It was a round table so she was more like seated at ninety-degrees angle but next to him nonetheless.

“Bonjour, mademoiselle Valdez.” René smiled back. “I was wondering when you’d approach me.”

“Oh, how so?” She arched an enquiring eyebrow.

“There’s a… flavor and shape to your flames that I’d wager to fit the same Ring than mine.”

“Ring?” That was a new term.

“The one who taught me to shoot, told be about other types of groups that Flame users formed. Sometimes with and sometimes without a Sky. This school teaches exclusively about the full set that great Skies collect around them, thus painting an image of an idyll only few and far between the flame users can achieve… Ring, is a term for a full flame group without a Sky.”

“And you must’ve met another Flame Active in order to recognize the ‘flavor and shape’ required. Even as a Sensor you must have something to compare my flames to.”

“True. I met a girl last year in Nice. She was a very strong Cloud with a Sky secondary. I’m not sure if she is strong enough to Harmonize but the quality was fitting to my flames. She said she also had Rain, though Latent…” René mused. “I’m still in contact with Adi if you’d like to get to know her. I’ve a feeling you’d like her.”

It’s a strange topic to talk about. Very confidential, but Flames don’t lie. René trusted Rosalie with the knowledge of a Heavenly Cloud and her Rain with whom they’d probably form a Ring and thus achieve a balance. It almost sounded better than Harmony in an actual Sky set (Starburst, René called the shape).

Rosalie took a leap of faith and with a bit of Mist-direction ensured no one listening in, she shared a little but secret information from her flame bonds.

“I tried to Harmonized with Xanxus di Vongola three years ago.” While people at school knew she kept disappearing and that she was acquaintances with Squalo and Xanxus, the true extent of their… friendship was a secret. “I failed, since my flames weren’t strong enough. And I suppose the flavor was wrong too…”

“Oh… But it was a close call though, right? Isn’t it sort of amazing anyways? Almost bonding with a Vongola Sky? If the strengths are too far apart, the weaker of the link simply slides out of perception and the Sky doesn’t even notice the attempt.”

“Well, some people simply don’t know their etiquette and go throwing themselves at Skies without even introducing themselves. You should’ve seen the tizzy this place was in when the Cavallone Heir went active two years ago. His tutor, Sun Arcobaleno Reborn, withdrew him soon after.”

“Hitman Reborn… Have you met him then?” René asked, odd gleam in his dark eyes.

“Not met. I did see him from afar. With Constantino Cavallone tripping every third step he took, I decided to stay well away from that mess.” Rosalie flipped her dark locks over her shoulder.

“I see…” The boy hummed. She eyed him suspiciously.

“Why the interest?”

“I was born and raised at Mafia Land.”

“Yes, it’s one of the few things that the rumor mills here agree on.”

“My mother was very _laissez-faire_ when it came to childrearing. She loved me dearly and had wanted a child for a while but didn’t really know what to do with me. She could cook and clean, she paid attention to my needs, but she was also terribly busy with her job as information broker. So she didn’t really have time to really know what I did on my free time… Anyways, I found someone else to look after me and keep me occupied during days. The Rain Arcobaleno Colonello.” René explained. “And he said once that it was a great irony that I was named René while having Sun Flames and unerring aim.”

Rosalie waited patiently for the punchline even though she had a feeling where this was going.

“ _René_ is after all just another way of saying ‘reborn’, being derived from the Latin name Renatus.”

Oh, how interesting.

* * *

**_1999_ **

René told Rosalie that “Adi’s” Rain was missing after going to Italy. Rosalie paid handsomely to Mammon to find out if the girl had been pulled into mafia. She was found in CEDEF, under the codename Thyme.

“Shall we scout her out and see if she has the correct quality flames?” Rosalie asked the boy.

“Yes, when she has a mission outside Italy.”

It took them many months later to Monaco where CEDEF was conducting an observation mission for two of their rookies, Thyme and Basil. René distracted people at poker table while Rosalie messed with people. Mammon was with them since they were bored and promised them a cut for whatever winnings René managed to acquire.

The Rain was Misty too and quite compatible. It was a pity she was in the confines of CEDEF but the situation could potentially be turned into an advantage too.

Varia, CEDEF, freelance information broker, and unaligned drifter… Yes, it was starting to look quite promising grouping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rosalie is bossy and a nice mix of cute and fierce.  
> And René? He is sassy. He will have a proper introduction in next chapter.  
> Please tell me what you think of them.


	5. Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His name was the greatest irony in his new life.

**Chapter 5.**

**Sun**

**_1988_ **

René Fontaine was born in a hospital in Mafia Land on a sunny morning in March to Information broker Angelina Fontaine. His father was never in the picture and later he found out that his mother had been sleeping with six different men during the same week in the hopes of achieving pregnancy. All of men had had different active flame types and after the boy’s birth, Angelina had determined that his father must’ve been the Sun Flame user who had left in the morning after without a word.

It didn’t really bother René. He did have other problems to handle after all.

Like his own name.

* * *

 

**_1989_ **

René’s life was one big irony. His name literally meant ‘reborn’ while he himself had literally reborn.

Some building blocks were still in place. He was still French thanks to his mother’s heritage. He was still boy and hey, his name even was the same than in his previous life.

Then the irony began. He had died during an armed robbery to a bank when he’d been just a bystander. And lo and behold, he was born into mafia full of gun wielding maniacs. And that wasn’t enough either. It just had to be the version of world that was right out of some manga! He didn’t know the specifics of Katekyo Hitman Reborn aside from magic flames, tutor babies, time-travel shenanigans and a couple of names. But it was more than enough for him to piece together his own situation and if René had dared to, he would’ve cursed aloud.

But all the same, he came to a resolution: he would not be a victim in a gunfight ever again. He’d rather learn perfect aim with any firearm available and couple of thrown weapons too than to be killed again because he was helpless.

* * *

**_1994_ **

With Angelina frequently busy maintaining her information network, gathering the info herself and meeting her various clients on the neutral ground of Mafia Land, René was often left to his own devices.

Thus he learnt to entertain himself. By playing poker and various other card games in the gambling dens of the island. And thanks to his mature mindset and previous memories in general, he managed to gather quite the sum of money.

Even if it in turn angered the other players…

“Catch him!”

René ran as fast as his short legs allowed him to. This situation was by no means a new occurrence in his life. And he’d try his best to get away or at least enjoy every possible moment he had before he was caught… again. The Mafiosi frequenting the bars were the ones that tried to beat him up, the barkeeps and owners in the other hand didn’t mind him scamming them. It was just good fun for them. But they didn’t try to prevent him from getting hurt either.

**_Bang!_ **

René tripped. His eyes widened along with the red stain blooming on his t-shirt. Then the pain hit. With a cry, the boy stumbled onto the cobblestone ground, his arms only barely reaching out in time to break his fall.

“Hah! Got the bastard! This will teach him not to mess around with the Buornac Famiglia!” The shooter announced, his friend laughing around him.

René whimpered quietly and curled up to protect his aching stomach. Footsteps approached him. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to be a victim again. He didn’t want to die.

_Never again._

Yellow flames bloomed to life, lashing out at the perceived enemies in the alley and attacking the wound on the boy, simultaneously also healing any old bruises and injuries he had.

Then there was someone else, shooting at the assailants and chasing them away while the flames seemed to recede. The pain was vanishing too. René was tired. Too tired to move. Too tired to think…

“Oi, kid. Are you alright, kora?” There was that new person now. He sounded… young. And short, given the direction and angle his voice was coming from. René slowly blinked his eyes open and turned his head to the side from where his face had previously been almost mushed against the stonework of the walkway. His savior appeared to be a blond… baby? Did he hit his head and was now hallucinating or something?

The baby had stopped to stare at René’s face but soon bustling around him again.

“Can you roll onto your back, kora? I need to see the damage. Even if you healed yourself, we’re still going to hospital, kora.” Such a strange verbal tick… René obeyed the instruction with a quiet groan and let his bloody hands fall on his sides. The blond baby was lifting his shirt to see if there was a scar left and phoning someone…

René fell asleep.

* * *

 Colonello stared at the sleeping form of the _freaking Reborn-lookalike_ on a hospital bed. The Buornac famiglia’s thugs had been taken care of by the security force so now the only thing left was to wait for the boy to awaken. He already got the boy’s identity from one of the nurses at the hospital. René Fontaine, six years old as of last March, mother Angelina Fontaine, father unknown.

“Unknown my ass…” Colonello snorted. The boy’s birthday and presumed time of conception matched quite nicely with the time Reborn last had a reprieve. Reprieve was time of a single week granted to an Arcobaleno to regain their adult forms. They got one reprieve per decade and due the curse and world stability, multiple Arcobaleno’s could not have their reprieves at the same time.

And considering the strength of the boy’s newly awakened flames, there was no doubt about his heritage even if no one else would know to look for it. Thus the boy was safe from the Hitman’s enemies. But naturally not safe from making his own. And not yet capable of defending himself. So naturally that only left…

René stirred and Colonello’s eyes snapped back to him. Moment of teetering between sleep and wakefulness and then the boy noticed him.

“Umm…” The surprised face was worth of seeing. And all the other expressions that Colonello had never and probably would never see on Reborn’s own face.

“Hello, finally awake, kora?”

“As you can see.” René deadpanned. The tone was familiar even if the expression was new. “May I ask who are you?”

“Colonello, kora! I’m the overseer of this island.”

“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, monsieur Colonello.” French, a bit of a change from the abundance of Italian everywhere but the kid’s mother tongue. “Am I correct in assuming that you helped me back then?”

“Yes. Your flames healed you quite well but the bastards didn’t take the hint at first so I did my duty and by now they’ve been banished and banned from this island.”

There was a distant look in the boy’s eyes when he pressed a hand where the gunshot wound had been.

_“Never again…”_

“Huh?”

“I don’t want to be helpless like that again. Never again.” There was faint yellow gleam in René’s eyes but it disappeared to the blackness soon. Colonello blinked but jumped to stand on the boy’s hospital bed.

“Well, that’s good to hear, kora. Because I’ve decided to take you as my student, kora.”

“Eeh?”

* * *

**_1995_ **

It was sweltering August day. René was exhausted. Training with Colonello was always harsh even if it was toned down to be appropriate for his age and skill level. But the scorching sun was making everything worse. Not to mention…

“Why are you being so damn distracted?” René scowled to the direction of the Rain Arcobaleno who was glancing at the clock for the umpteenth time.

“Language, kora.” Colonello replied distractedly. Hypocrite. “Alright, let’s wrap this up for the day. I’ve got a visitor coming up soon.”

“Okay.” Shower sounded good. And food. And rest. René disassembled the hand gun he’d been using and tucked his darts to a case that he stored to the back pocket of his pants. “See you tomorrow then. The usual time?”

“Rather around mid-day. I’ve got…”

“The visitors. Right.”

“Don’t get sassy, kora.” Colonello slapped the boy to the back of his head. The boy just grinned and scampered off.

* * *

 René was on his way to a snackstand. His mother wasn’t home, having had to leave to Italy in order to meet with the Cavallone Don. René had heard that his only remaining child was now being tutored to become the Decimo.

“Oh well.” René shrugged. “I’ll know more once Angelina comes back.” It was a bit strange to compare his meager prior-knowledge of this world to what he learnt but… At least he had no bias beforehand.

He walked past a trio of people. A regular suit-wearing Mafiosi, a black-haired girl wearing a white summer dress with orange hem and waistband, and… a baby…

It all happened too fast.

Flash of orange, buffer of yellow, grip too tight, burning, _scorching_ …

Hard ground hit his knees and René grumbled down with a pained yell. His side and left arm were on _fire_. Couldn’t anyone see it? Why weren’t people reacting? Oh, now there was yelling. Sounded like Colonello.

**_“What the hell are you doing, Luce?!”_ **

There were words that René couldn’t catch. The fire was gone now but the burning still lingered. There were a cool pair of hands holding his sweaty face and… Blue eyes. Bright eyes of the same shape he saw in mirror everyday…

“Are you alright?” The girl from before asked.

“I…” René drew a hasty breath but hissed then when the _burns_ on his arm chafed against the sleeve of his shirt. Wait… The boy used his right arm and heave his upper body to a better position and noticed that… “My shirt is intact…”

“Forming Harmony bonds happens in different plane so to say. Just like un-Active civilians can’t see the flames unless they truly have the potential of awakening their own.” The girl explained. “I apologize for my mother’s actions. She… She is aching in the absence of her own bonded elements.”

“If she had bonded elements she wouldn’t be trying to force a Harmony bond.” Colonello spat out, glaring at the baby in white outfit and hat and an orange flower-shaped mark on her left cheekbone. Same mark that the girl had.

“Colonello…” The baby, Luce, began.

“Let’s go…” The girl whispered to René. “We need to see that there was no lasting damage on your flames.”

The pair of them slipped away from the adults and René led the way back to Colonello’s training courses.

“What did Colonello mean about… your mother’s bonded elements? It contradicts your statement.” René asked once they sat down and he stripped his shirt away so they could see the damage.

“Mother… she had a full set but she deceived them into something close to Harmony. The betrayal became evident later and her elements left her. But like with any Sky, even she needs elements and the aching gap left in her hasn’t gotten any better during the years.” The girl – whose name René still didn’t know – frowned. “And I suppose… Your flames were strong and similar enough to her Sun that her flames tried to snap you up.”

“That doesn’t…” René began to argue.

“It doesn’t excuse her anyway. But it does explain.” She sighed, eyeing the already scarring skin. It looked like flaming fingers had tried to curl around the boy’s torso. “Try to move your arm.”

René did. With his flames working on the layers of skin, the pain was receding into a dull ache. “I might need some cold to this later.”

“Most likely…” The girl agreed. “I’m Aria. Aria di Giglio Nero.”

”René Fontaine.” René replied before pausing. “Pleased to meet you.”

“Likewise. I just wish it had been in different circumstances.”

There were approaching footsteps and René quickly shrugged his shirt back on. Fuming Colonello arrived with Luce and her bodyguard. The children got on their feet and Aria settled behind René, her hands on his shoulders.

“I’m sorry for what happened.” The Giglio Nero boss said remorsefully. But something in René’s gut clenched.

It wasn’t that she was sorry about scorching him or trying to force the bond. She was sorry that she failed and her actions had been accidental. And judging from the way Aria’s hands tightened on his shoulder, she agreed with him.

“Okay. Past is in the past.” Because he definitely wasn’t forgiving this baby-woman.

Luce just smiled and followed Colonello then to one of the buildings in the area. Probably to talk whatever business that had brought her to the island in the first place. The Rain Arcobaleno instructed the children to explore and stick together and thus they were alone once more.

“Did you know…” Aria said then. “We have the same father.”

* * *

**_1996_ **

Next year René and his mother moved out of Mafia Land and settled in Nice, France. The boy was sad to leave the place but in the other hand it was nice to get a break from Colonello and… well, see the world in general.

During the past year he’d kept contact with Aria whom he’d gladly taken to treat as his older sister even though he felt extremely uncomfortable whenever Luce was even mentioned. With Aria and Colonello’s help he even got a handle of his… Flame Sensitivity that had developed in the aftermath of his _scorching._ It was strange so see the density and texture and even flavor in the flames of others. Those things told him the ways people were related to each other, the way they’d fit in different Flame groups… Triangle, Square, Starburst, Ring, Cartwheel… It was strange but he learnt to handle it and when necessary, to ignore it.

But now he was in France, technically closer to Aria instead of circling the world with the floating island but at the same time… He had nothing to do. He didn’t have Colonello’s lessons anymore. He couldn’t go to a shooting range on his own because he was underage. He couldn’t go gambling since he was underage and they were civilians… School was boring and they were civilians.

“Damn, I’m really not equipped for civilian lifestyle anymore…” René muttered. And majority of the video games he used to play weren’t even a thought in the developers’ minds. He really wanted to play Ace Attorney and Professor Layton games… Even the original Japanese would be fine!

Door slammed open and Angelina bustled in, short chocolate brown curls flying everywhere. She dropped a pile of rolled up schematics on the floor and then accidentally kicked them around the room as she moved to get rid of her heeled boots and grey trench coat.

“Maman?” René asked, eyeing the woman from his position on the couch. He stashed his darts away, she didn’t like him playing with them just for fun as he’d taken them as his designated weapons.

“Iron Fort was attacked!” Angelina announced, closing the door, hanging her coat and then starting to gather her previous load. “My contacts are in…”

“Uproar?”

“Good word but not quite.”

“Mess?”

“Well, considering that they don’t seem to be agreeing on what exactly has gone down… yes.”

“Dizzy?”

“Might as well be…” Angelina sighed and went over a large wardrobe in the sitting room and opened it to reveal two willow baskets full of other rolled up papers. And files stacked on the shelves above. “Some of them are even claiming that Varia are behind the attack.”

“Oh?” That… sounded vaguely familiar. “How interesting.” René smirked.

* * *

**_1997_ **

Aada Aarnio was wonderful. She was same age than René, had great humor and really got some of the jokes he cracked rather than slightly confused stare he got from his classmates. (Civilians, pah) And she had flames that fit his! She might’ve been predominantly Cloud but the Sky in her was wonderful too. Flame Ring. If just they’d find their other elements, they’d be a wonderful Flame Ring.

“I’ve also got a Lake. I mean… Rain.” Aada smiled. “I’m sure Leila would like to meet you two.”

“Aa.” René smiled, not daring to comment otherwise. “Say, did you read the latest issue of Marvel comics?”

“Yes. It was brilliant story of Avengers and I can’t wait until…” The girl trailed off.

“Until what?”

“Sorry, nothing.”

It was only after she left back home that he realized the reason they’d understood each other so well was because she’d also lived in the 2000’s like him before this life.

“Hmm… Maybe I should ask her if she happens to know more about this world…”

* * *

**_1998_ **

Rosalie was his best friend. And maybe she didn’t have the profound understanding that Aada had when it came to him, she still _got_ him. She listened and offered advice. She had a wealth of information that René hadn’t previously been able to touch due his mother trying to shield him from the mafia.

(Angelina might’ve been sometimes absent mother and she might want him to eventually inherit her craft, but it didn’t mean she wanted to draw him into the bloody shadows. There was a reason he’d been practically isolated at Mafia Land and later put into civilian school.)

But Rosalie was brilliant. She was a fitting Mist. She bowed to no one. She was girly in her mannerisms and clothing choices but she was fierce when she grabbed her sword or opened her mouth. René blamed the Varia for that even if the coarse language hadn’t thankfully stuck.

(She even dragged him once to visit the Headquarters and introduce him to her associates. They were crazy. And Mammon had stared at him for a moment before looking to the side and letting out a longsuffering sigh.)

And it was thanks to their association that next year they got to see their fitting Rain.

* * *

**_2001_ **

Aada had a friend in Japan. A friend who had some interesting information to René.

“Namimori, huh?” Aada had generously shared information about the original plotline of this world along with several fan theories she had and… René really wanted to confirm them.

“Maman, I’m moving to Japan!”

“Okay, be safe dear!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you noticed a pattern? Aside from a couple of blood relations?
> 
> It was a coincidence I swear. I had Aada and René at first. They are both SI-OCs and around them I created the others. The original premise for René included more parallel dimension hopping but I nixed that when the others came to the play. Instead, he became Reborn's son. I snatched the reprieve idea from a KHR-HP crossover name of which I can't recall just now to make it possible.  
> Aada in the other hand was Skull's niece since beginning. But she needed friends, so I randomly picked Rain for Leila's flame.  
> Wrench... I made her Spanner's sister and thus alike him in someways and a bit excentric. It was only later that I realized that she was also a Lightning with a green hair...  
> For Rosalie... I gave her a parasol. Then I thought about her hiding somesort of weapon in the handle. The weapon became a conductor's baton with which she could direct her illusions. Then I thought of the movements used with the baton and then swords... And then she got fencing as a hobby and that led to Squalo and Varia connection...
> 
> And before I realized, I had Arcobaleno Mini-me's in making... And yes, the storm boy will be Hibari/Fon lookalike.


	6. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He couldn't rage. Because he was stability for the tiny Sky and in exchange got peace and acceptance from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had troubles with Yuuki. First with deciding his name. Then with figuring out how to make him connect with other OCs since they all are in Europe and he is in Japan. And then I had troubles in figuring out how I get enough content to get this chapter to decent lenght... I've been neglecting my poor boy... But then I realized that he is in Namimori, I can make him meet Tsuna especially since they are the same age. Tsu-kun really deserves a friend. And I got more content!

**Chapter 6.**

**Storm**

**_1993_ **

Yuuki was two years old when he met his uncle for the first time. Well, he met most of his extended family for the first time back then. Even though he was so young he already had a good memory. He remembered uncle Feng’s stories of the Seven Flames and their adventures but not wondering why he was so small but talked like adults. He remembered older cousin Kyoya poking him and then deeming him uninteresting. He remembered mother and father talking with Kyoya’s mother and father and some other uncles and aunts that in generally kept away from them.

Yuuki remembered hearing expectations laid upon him for the first time back then.

And he remembered never reaching those expectations.

* * *

 Feng – or Arcobaleno Fon as people knew him as – had two sisters. Two sisters who married to well-off families in Japan. Yun married Hibari Satoshi and had son Kyoya. Lin married Minami Tomoharu had Yuuki who was two years younger than Kyoya.

There was always competition between the mothers which of the boys was better despite Fon trying to play negotiator.

Yuuki might’ve picked Chinese quicker and had good grasp of calligraphy for his age, but Kyoya won any fight in which they were pitted against each other. And having mothers that had been raised among Triads and who had a brother that was the _World’s Strongest Storm_ , that was all that mattered.

And in the end, it was always Yuuki, not Lin, that lost. Disappointment in her eyes, disinterest on Kyoya’s face, gleeful scorn in Yun’s smile… It was all he received.

He didn’t even want to fight.

* * *

**_1996_ **

Yuuki was five when he felt something was seriously wrong. Not with himself but with the quiet kid on his kindergarten class.

Sawada Tsunayoshi.

The fluffy-haired kid was nice but terribly shy and timid. Like a frightened bunny or something. Yuuki liked him. Usually they didn’t talk to each other but sat by the same table and colored or made origami or something similar. Tsunayoshi was inviting and warm. And whenever Yuuki had troubled mind, sitting next to Tsuna gave him peace.

But then one summer day something felt weird with Tsuna. Cold. He felt cold and kept shivering and tripping. Tripping wasn’t really that unusual since they were kids and some were already going through growth-spurts. But Tsuna was tripping more than usual and for some reason people were laughing at him for it. And no one was trying to help him. Not even teachers. Was the coldness driving people away?

Yuuki crouched next to Tsuna’s once again fallen form.

“Are you okay, Sawada-kun?” He asked quietly. Brown eyes snapped up at him. There were tears in Tsuna’s eyes.

“I… I’m not… Everything is so _cold_ and people keep _laughing_ at me.” The boy whimpered.

“I’m not laughing at you now, am I?” Yuuki stood up and offered a hand. “Let’s go to ask for some paper so we can draw, ne?”

“Okay…” Tsuna took the offered hand and smiled slightly.

It was… sort of okay.

* * *

**_1997_ **

“Again.” Kyoya demanded as Yuuki was picking himself up from the floor of the dojo. The six-year-old silently got on his feet and slid into position. Without warning, his cousin flew across the space between them and they began exchanging blows.

Yuuki did get some kicks and hits in, but in the end, he ended up kissing the mat.

Above him, Kyoya huffed.

“Herbivore.” The eight-year-old stated and walked away. Yuuki got on his feet again. He was too tired to even cry because of his injuries. They were just bruises anyways.

* * *

 “Minami-kun, are you alright? Where did you get those bruises?” Tsuna asked with his high-pitched voice.

“Training accident.”

“Aah… Minami-kun is so strong. Training in martial arts.”

 _“No, I’m not. I’m not strong at all.”_ Yuuki thought bitterly. “I could teach you.”

“Thanks, but no thanks. I wouldn’t learn anything anyways. I’m just Dame-Tsuna.”

 _“No, you’re not.”_ But even that thought Yuuki didn’t say aloud. Tsuna would just laugh and deny it. “If you say so. The offer still stands.”

* * *

**_1998_ **

It was through pen-pal correspondence that Yuuki got to know Aada. It was set up to improve the children’s English skills. There were students from several grades in. Aada was three years older than Yuuki but it was nice to talk with her through letters.

Tsuna also had a penpal. Her name was Leila. She was even older than Aada. She sounded nice too.

* * *

**_1999_ **

The official time for the pen pal project had ended. There were still some people that continued with the contact but most had dropped out as soon as they were able to.

Aada still kept contact. Leila didn’t. Aada wrote that Leila was dead. Tsuna didn’t believe it but cried hard after getting the news.

“It doesn’t feel like she is dead but she as well could be…” The boy explained later. “It just feels… _Wrong_.”

Yuuki later learnt that it was the boy’s Intuition talking.

* * *

**_2000_ **

While Yuuki might’ve influenced Tsuna and kept him stable amongst the bullying and self-deprication, it also went other way. Tsuna influenced Yuuki, gave him peace even while cold and accepted him as he was.

Yuuki taught Tsuna about origami and calligraphy. Tsuna educated Yuuki about manga and games.

And through those, Yuuki got to know Spanner. The British boy liked everything Japanese. From anime and manga to green tea and zabuton pillows. And mecha. One shouldn’t forgot the robots that the boy was also building.

But he was yet another person to talk to. To actually talk with. Yuuki’s third friend. And how sad was that? He had three friends, two of which lived across the globe.

* * *

**_2001_ **

“You are still full of bruises.” Tsuna frowned worriedly at Yuuki’s battered form. It was funny. Bullies roughed Tsuna up almost daily if Yuuki wasn’t there. And Yuuki got roughed up at home in the name of training almost daily when Tsuna definitely wasn’t there.

“Training.” Yuuki smiled back. “I need to get better.”

But it was never enough. He was never enough. He was always somehow wrong in his mother’s eyes. And his father didn’t care.

_“Why can’t you be like Kyoya-kun?”_

_“Why can’t you be stronger?_ _More agile? Faster? Like Feng-dàgē…”_

_“Why are you so indifferent? Don’t you see how important it is for you to be better?”_

_“Why can’t you be more masculine?”_

_“Why are you so **weak**?”_

Yuuki tilted his head. Those questions always run in his mind he never really listened to them anymore. They became background noise. But they brought up a question…

“You know I just realized…” Yuuki began slowly. “I’ve never really thought of myself as a boy.”

“You haven’t?” Tsuna blinked. “What do you mean, Minami-kun?”

“I… I’ve just gone with the flow. I eat what the kitchen staff make. I wear clothes that mother has had bought for me. I go to school they picked and train according to schedule they set. The only thing that I really decided myself was… my association with you. I like origami and calligraphy and flower arranging… I sort of like helping your mother to cook too. None of those are very… masculine things to do.” The boy frowned. “I don’t feel like a boy even though I have a boy’s body. But at the same time, I feel like this is my body and I don’t want to change it. Even though my face looks just like Kyoya-itoko’s…”

“Do you feel like a girl then?” The brunette asked.

“… I don’t know what being a girl feels like so I can’t say.” Yuuki shrugged.

* * *

 That year was a year of changes.

That year Yuuki realized that he didn’t like the mold of a traditional man that he was being forced into. He did like traditional culture but he didn’t like forced masculinity. With Tsuna and Nana’s help he had the chance to explore his likes and dislikes in clothing style and hobbies alike.

That year Nana forgot Tsuna’s birthday for the first time. Well, in the end it wasn’t that surprising. The woman didn’t remember even her own birthday but did remember her husband’s as well as their wedding date. Yuuki treated Tsuna at Takesushi and took him to Arcade that year.

That year René Fontaine moved to Namimori and took both boys under his wing. The house he lived in became a sanctuary for both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally posted the first fullbody pic I drew of my children to tumblr. It was mostly drawn to show hairstyles and clothing style, thus I didn't draw faces.
> 
> http://tsukiko-no-art.tumblr.com/image/171245234792


	7. Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to tie everything together. And reveal more background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while to write but I hope it was worth waiting and reading.

**Chapter 7.**

**Sky**

**_1995_ **

When you were reborn into some series that you knew practically by heart and realized that it had actually happened, you needed to come to terms with it and then decide what to do from there on. You needed to answer some crucial questions.

Those questions Aada Aarnio needed to answer too when she stared at the purple flames on her palm. Purple flames that had occasional golden orange stripes running through.

Katekyo Hitman Reborn… damn.

Aada was seven years old when she fell down from a cliff and was unharmed once she made it down. She was seven when she awakened her flames and realized where exactly she was. She was seven when her memories from Before became a clarity and not just a comforting hum and she felt like retching.

She had died. On a highway while driving a motorbike. She’d been crushed by a bus changing lanes and she hadn’t been able to brake fast enough to get out of its way. And while she didn’t remember the death itself, she could still put two and two together and get a two by four.

But Aada didn’t have time to mourn or puke or contemplate life. She had to reassure her friend first. Wonderful, lovely Leila who was two years older than her, who watching down from the cliff in horror.

“I’m alright!” Aada shouted and tried to push down the tears that threatened to come.

* * *

There was no time to think. Aada and Leila were hush-hush about what had happened and what they’d seen but eventually Aada’s parents found out. And they already knew about flames?!

Eemeli explained the flames and their Finnish counterparts to the two girls. Leila was fascinated. Aada was apprehensive. And then the other girl was gone, she approached her father with questions on her own

“Dad, how exactly do you know about the Italian version of Flames?”

“I told you. Your uncle Saku filled us in.” Saku whom she’d met only once.

“Dad, please…” She swallowed a sob. “I’m scared.”

“…” Eemeli looked away. “You are only seven years old. Wait a couple of more years. I don’t have all information myself yet.”

“Okay…”

She could cope. And she had Leila. They’d support each other. Leila was her Rain and she was a Heavenly Cloud. And she was calling a bullshit on Eemeli being a weak Sky. Maybe his Sky was weaker than Saana’s Cloud but he was no way weak. Aada could feel it.

* * *

The questions needed answers though. Aada sat at her little desk and absent-mindedly doodled on a notebook while she thought about it.

Question number one: Could she change things if she wanted to?

Answer: Yes, if she played her cards right.

Question number two: Did this world need changing?

Answer: Yes, but the biggest things were out of her reach.

Question number three: Did she want to change things?

Answer: Maybe.

Aada huffed. It was a tricky situation. She had no resources to do things easily or safely. And really, she didn’t want to change that much since then things could spiral out of control. Moreover, this was mostly normal world. This was no dystopia. This was no world approaching an apocalypse. There was technically no need for her to interfere…

Maybe she should figure out her family secrets first before trying to butt into other people’s business.

* * *

**_1997_ **

Okay, René was wonderful. Black-haired, black-eyed French boy the same age than Aada. He was so easy to talk with. (In English since Aada had studied French only for a year in high school before quitting.) Especially, once Aada caught him referencing Professor Layton games accidentally.

_“This reminds me of a puzzle.”_

There was no way she’d let him go and thus drew him into conversation about games, movies, manga seemingly seamlessly. At least René didn’t notice until afterwards that they’d been talking about things that didn’t exist yet.

Aada wanted him as her Sun. Crops, whatever.

They exchanged contact information and eventually René asked her if she knew anything about the world they were in. She was delighted to share that information.

* * *

**_1998_ **

They had a penpal program with some Japanese elementary schoolers. Aada’s letter friend was named Minami Yuuki while Leila’s was Sawada Tsunayoshi. In any other situation Aada would’ve shrugged it as a coincidence but she already knew this world and knew the school of those kids was located in Namimori.

The girl grinned and purple light danced in her eyes as she continued writing her letter to Yuuki.

She had an in now.

* * *

“Will you tell me now? About our family?” Aada asked her father. Eemeli looked up from the paper on his desk. They were seated at his office at home. The shelves were filled with book and papers and files. Some free walls had maps on them. Old maps.

“…Very well.” The man sighed and got on his feet. He walked to one of his cluttered bookshelves and pulled a thicktome out of it. It had a darkened brown leather covers with some gold decoration that was falling off. Aada couldn’t make the title of it. “Our family’s story began three generations ago in Italy. Both your mother and uncle and I have ancestors from Italy. From same circles even.”

Eemeli sat next to Aada on the sofa and laid the book on the table in front of them.

“Personally I didn’t know much of anything of this until I met your mother and got wrapped up in investigating the nature of Flames in order to help your uncle.”

“Saku-nii?” Aada frowned. She hadn’t seen the man in years. But for the life she couldn’t remember what he looked like…

“Yes. Saku Sariola. Do you remember what he used to do for living when he went to America?” The man laid a hand on her head gently. Aada tilted her head in thought.

“He was a stuntman. He did stunts for movies and also had his own show where he did motorcycle tricks.”

“Yes. And in those circles, he was known as Skull de Mort. Or the Immortal Skull whom even the Death hates.”

“Skull?” Aada’s eyes widened and at the name it felt like something inside her unraveled and the memory of the man, toddler, visiting on her birthday came to her mind.

“That’s his stage name yes.” Eemeli nodded and removed his hand. “Your mother and uncle were descended from a strong Cloud Flame user Valentina Travesi. She was the Cloud in a Flame Ring called Perla. I, in the other hand, am descended from Dante Pittore who was the Mist in the same Ring. Heavenly Mist actually, just like I am.”

“They were Harmonized?”

“Yes, they were. Both of them left Italy around one and half century ago. Most of Perla left in order the cultivate their members into a famiglia. Descendants, friends, associates… There were only eleven of them originally, existing within a mafia famiglia known as Vongola.”

“Vongola?” Was this a coincidence? It couldn’t be… Aada could barely believe her ears.

“Vongola is nowadays one of the strongest and oldest existing famiglias. It has two other branches, Varia and CEDEF and a whole lot of allies. Dante wrote everything he knew into this book which was passed down then to my grandfather, my mother and finally myself.”

“How could Dante Pittore know so much about Vongola to fill this thick tome?” Aada had to ask.

“He was the middle child of Vongola Quinto, Juliano. Quinto’s eldest and youngest competed in Ring Battles for the position of Sesto and during that time Dante himself left and made his Ring flee too.”

“Why?”

“Dante wrote that as a Mist primary, he was deemed unfit to be a Don candidate and the general treatment of mists was that of suspicion. Additionally, both Sesto and later Settimo were after his elements as they did not believe they were Harmonized with Dante.”

“Because he wasn’t a Heart…”

“Exactly. After Sesto tried to forcibly bond with Valentina, the Perla disappeared into the four winds.”

“Who were the other Perla?”

“There was Dante’s friends and the Officers of Varia that belonged to it. And when the Ring Battles happened and Sesto was chosen, it left a terrible power vacuum.” Eemeli chuckled. “What I read of Dante’s memoirs, he stated that for every good Don there was at least two bad ones. He named Secondo, Quinto and Ottava as good ones before passing away.”

Aada frowned. She really needed to read that book and… Wait a minute. Was she really of Vongola blood? This was insane.

“Dante’s friends were Valentina Travesi for Cloud, the youngest of them all; Lucille Fontaine for Rain, your friend René’s ancestor; Guilio Scutese for Lighting who originally was called Julian Clifton; Aurelio Cavallone for Sun, he went all the way to Japan; and Antonio Pisani for Storm, the Storm Officer of Vongola’s assassination squad, the Varia and also descendant of Secondo. He was the only one of the six of them who remained in Italy.”

“And the other officers? There’s… five left?”

“That’s correct. Sesto before he took the mantle was Varia’s leader and Sky Officer even though Antonio was the leader in practice. Other Officers were Aquila Suberbi for Cloud, Luciano Vargas for Rain, Edward Chesterton for Lighting, Silvia of Milan for Sun and Cobra of Lecce for Mist. The last two didn’t have family names recorded. Dante wasn’t aware of all information relating to Varia. He did find out that Luciano married Lucille’s eldest daughter and Edward married an English girl as well.”

“That’s… our family?” Aada reached for the book that Eemeli had now opened from a page which had all the portraits of the original Perla painted there. Apparently Dante had been a painter when alive.

“Yes, that’s our family. I only need to call and we are ready to assemble. Just like Dante pulled them together before scattering, I’m the one entrusted with knowledge and responsibility of Perla.”

“I’d like to have more family.” It was a strange craving. Aada had a Rain and a Sun. But she wanted more. She _needed_ more. And she knew her father also wanted elements.

“I can try and contact Angelina Fontaine. Since Lucille’s times, Fontaine’s have retained information about Perla and other famiglias too. With her help we can reach out to other descendants.”

Aada leant against her father. Though it was all very shocking, she was also very glad about the facts. With her flames already awake, she was bound to attract mafia’s attention sooner or later. And with a tentative contact with Tsunayoshi already, it would be better if she’d have a famiglia on her own to protect her. And if her father put the ball rolling now, everything hopefully would be set in time.

* * *

**_1999_ **

Leila was gone. Not dead but _gone_. Adda had felt her flames flare when activated and then gone quiet. Aada didn’t like it. The Harmony had snapped in place between her and Leila and it had all been wonderful but then her flames started spluttering and struggling against something. Aada spent the entire week praying that everything was alright. She even informed René to cast his nets with his new friend Rosalie in the case they found anything. Leila _had_ disappeared in Italy after all.

While waiting, Leila’s entire family had been declared dead by the consulate. There were funerals. Aada couldn’t hide her tears of anger. And after Leila got a message to her through her new teacher Lal Mirch that she was with CEDEF which had tried to brainwash her and thus sever their Harmonization. Aada told Eemeli. His face turned thunderous and the girl had a feeling the preparations would be hurried now.

At school, Aada felt lonelier than ever. Everyone at school seemed to know that Leila had been her best friend and now didn’t know how to treat her. Teachers were overly careful. Student either avoided her or were overly nosy. Aada didn’t like it. So she picked up a new hobby to distract her.

Gymnastics. It was something she had dreamt of doing when she had been alive in the previous life but never got the opportunity. Same with language choices. Aada already knew English, Swedish, French and some Japanese. This time she wanted and needed to learn French and Italian. And brush up with Japanese especially when she took over keeping contact with Tsuayoshi in Leila’s stead.

Choices, choices…

* * *

_**2001** _

René moved to Namimori. He texted a lot to her from there. About school, Yuuki, Tsuna, Disciplinary Committee… Apparently Hibari was a year younger than he and Aada. The house where René lived became a safe haven for the two elementary schoolers though. Both Tsuna and Yuuki escaped expectations there and René took over helping them with homework.

The French boy also told Aada about the seal. About the choking feeling he got whenever close to Tsuna. It had slowly begun to ease when they were feeding the boy food that Yuuki had made and infused with Storm Flames and when René simply laid a hand against the boy’s forehead and used his Sun Flames to stimulate Tsuna’s in order to attack the seal.

Also, Leila had met Dahlia Williams aka Wrench Chesterton in London when on solo mission. The older girl was apparently an inventor and had a brother who liked to be called Spanner. Huh, who knew… And they were descendants of the Varia Lighting too, making them automatically Perla if they were amendable.

Things were moving forward.

“René, get a fake passport to Tsuna and Yuuki. I want all of us to meet.” Aada spoke in video chat. “Leila is also invited and I managed to contact Rosalie and Wrench too.”

“Righty-o. It’s been such a long time since we met.” The boy replied. After the years had gone by he’d started to resemble his father more and more. Only notable difference really was the lack of curly sideburns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In next chapter I'm going to introduce the original Perla through pics I made with Rinmaru games Avatar creator.


	8. Original Perla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The founders of Perla Famiglia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pictures are made via Rinmarugames' Mega Avatar Creator.  
> Added some little info that can mostly be found from my tumblr too though some fixes have been made later. Here is the most updated information.

_“And like a pearl, the family took generations until they reached their final shape.”_

 

 **Dante Pittore:**  Heavenly Mist, originally the middle son of Vongola Quinto. As a Mist he was uneligble to inherit. Before Sesto was even established, he left the country at age 16. His name was dragged through the mud due his refusal of becoming his brother’s Guardian and causing his friends to scatter, thus depriving Vongola of strong Flame users. He went to Denmark and joined the army. Eventually his grandson went to Finland where Aarnio family are his descendants.

 **Lucille Fontaine:**  Sunny Rain, Information broker. Liked to use guns despite them being considered unladylike. Went back to France at age 25, being the oldest of Dante's flame ring, never married but had two children, eldest of them taking her name. The younger one, daughter, married Luciano Vargas. Of the descendants only the eldest child of her eldest’s line takes her name and contacts. Others have married and forged their own routes. Descendants include Angelica and René Fontaine, Leila Kannas and Colonello (Cornelio Vargas).

 

 **Aurelio Cavallone:**  Electric Sun. Left to Japan at age 20 while his cousin became Cavallone Quinto. Liked to use Bec de Corbin as a weapon though preferred to use his wits in fight rather than brawn. Irie Shoichi is his descendant.

 **Antonio Pisani:**  Heavenly Storm. Born from a bastard line of Vongola Secondo. Violent and arrogant but honorable fighter. Preferred knives in fights. Only one out of “Pittore Sextet” who remained in Italy. Was 17 when scattering happened. Xanxus is descended from him.

  

 **Giulio Scutese:**  Stormy Lighting. Originally from Scotland and named Julian Clifton. Returned back there during the scattering when he was 19 years old. Used to be a blacksmith and preferred to use swords and axes that he’d made himself during fight.

 **Valentina Travesi:**  Misty Cloud. Youngest out of Pittore Sextet, only 15 when scattering happened. Used to travel across Europe but settled in Finland where her son married a local girl. Eventually the family name shifted to Sariola. Out of her descendants, only Saana uses daggers like her. Saana also married Eemeli Aarnio, descendant of Dante Pittore and had Aada Aarnio. Also, Saana’s brother came to be known as the Immortal Skull de Mort.

 

**VARIA**

 

 **Aquila Superbi:**  Sunny Cloud. Favored weapon sword. Record keeper and Archiver for Varia. When Perla broke off from Vongola, Aquila returned back to Superbi. (still up in the air whether or not Squalo is directly descended from her)

 **Cobra:**  Cloudy Mist: Mysterious female who disappeared after disbandment. Rosalie and Mammon/Viper both are descended from the twins she bore.

**Edward Chesterton:**  Rainy Lighting. Dahlia and Spanner are his descendants. Used hammers to fight.

 

 **Luciano Vargas:**  Electric Rain. Married Lucille’s only daughter/second child. Leila and Colonello (Cornelio Vargas) are descended from this branch.

 **Silvia:**  Stormy Sun. Long-range fighter and a healer. Originally an orphan with no family name to speak of. From Milan. Xanxus’s father was descended from her and Antonio’s son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At some later point I'll post pictures of the main characters and other relevant people too. As well as some family trees.


End file.
